Top Ten Crafts for 2016

I spend a lot of time getting lost on Pinterest and Instagram looking for new crafts to learn or new techniques for current crafts and I love all the beautiful fun things there are out there. I recently taught myself (with the assistance of You Tube videos) Tunisian Crochet and loved the whole experience of learning something new.
So if your looking for a new craft then why not have a read of my top ten trending crafts for 2016.

1. Adult Colouring

The rage the seemed to massively take off in 2015 is growing, and developing. Not only can you get the standard books in all major book retailers but now you can get something a little more unique. Check out what Etsy has on offer because here you can find the recognisable titles along side the unique, Pin up girls or tattoos or perhaps something a little more risqué!
I’ve checked out whats on offer and have found three of my favourites;

My sister bought me a garden colouring book for my 35th Birthday, along with some really good quality pencils and I spent a lovely weekend away colouring in while we watched tv, or sat on the beach.

2. Cross Stitch

When I was a little girl I had an aunt who loved to create large cross stitches, she had a contraption that sat over her knee to assist her in the creation of her work. My older sister always loved them too and I remember when her children where young her whole staircase was filled with her completed and framed cross stitches.
Maybe as you read my little story you pictured the cross stitches that I was talking about, maybe they were dolls houses, or Country Scenes. Well they were what we might now consider as old fashioned and Cross Stitch has come a long way since women spent hours creating a horse.
Check out Mr X Stitch, – especially on Instagram. He showcases some of the best and modern cross stitch designers there are, from pop art to sexually liberating he is bringing cross stitch right up to date.
And he is not the only one, there are hundreds of modern cross stitchers who are ignoring the elegant house designs for something more unique Check out GeckoRouge and Stitchrovia on Etsy.

Stitchrovia on Etsy

3. Mixed Media Art

What is Mixed Media Art? I have spent the best part of eight months listening to the term being banded around and not really knowing what it meant. But I kind of thought that it sounded quite cool.

“Mixed media tends to refer to a work of visual art that combines various traditionally distinct visual art media. For example, a work on canvas that combines paint, ink, and collage could properly be called a “mixed media” work, but not a work of “multimedia art.” -Wikipedia

“Mixed media is a term used to describe artworks composed from a combination of different media or materials” – The Tate

Basically art can be made of anything or a combination of things!
Now that we both know what the term means we can see that there are 267,056 pieces of Mixed Media Art just on Etsy and one of my favourites is Charliemabi, who creates art work on top of the printed word, taking iconic images and turning them into something knew and something rather aesthetically pleasing.

Charliemabi mixed media artwork

Another form of Mixed Media Art is textile art. Zoe Wright creates brilliant artwork as well as covered note books or brooches from material that has been cut and stitched to create new pictures. Zoe is based in Krowji, Redruth and is currently exhibiting her work until the 31st March.

Zoe Wright Textiles

If you fancy having a go I check out this tutorial where artist Christy Tomlinson shows you how to have a go yourself.

4. Chalk Paint

Annie Sloan!
Most crafters have heard this name and are fully in the know about the wonderful product that Annie has created.
Last year I attending the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace and the Annie Sloan workshop was the first to sell out and easily the busiest.
Upcycling has been in the forefront of crafts and design for a few years now. I bought a 60s side table about three years ago with the aim to epicycle it. But chalk paint is more than just upcycling.
This great You Tube video shows you all about how to use chalk paint, but if your not feeling very confident then there are a lot of up cycling workshops happening all over the country.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dca5ymyrXI4]

5. Design your own fabric

Have you ever been looking for fabric in a certain style for a particular project and just not been able to find what you are looking for? Well why don’t you try designing your own fabric?
Yes, this is probably the coolest and by far the craft trend for 2016 that I have to try out.
Websites such as Printmepretty are offering you the option to upload a jpeg of a photo of design you have created on a graphics package and then they print it on the fabric for you.
Check out Cornish Bird In the Sticks on FB, this local artist as recently made some lamp shades from material she has created.

6. Hoop Art

Although not a new craft, this seems to me to be everywhere this year. with 27,581 products currently on sale on Etsy its clearly popular. And I can see why. There are so many things that you can do with hoop art, and they all look fabulous.
Perhaps you just want to create a little piece of embroidery and leave it in the hoop, as this makes the fabric taught and the image look clear and framed.
However think outside the norm with this as hoop art has expanded to incorporate the idea of Mixed Media arts and often you can find artists have used a mix of pain and fabric and embroidery, buttons and other embellishments to create there work. It seems that anything goes, just so long as it fits nicely in the size of your hoop – or multiple hoops if your feeling really extravagant.TipJunkie show you lots of brilliant designs and if you need some inspiration you can find brilliant tutorials here on U Create Craft.

7. Planners

I have been following a creator, Claireabellemakes on Instagram for sometime and recently she has been adding images of the planners that she makes. And now it seems that everyone is making there own.
Take your old 1980s filofax and using a little creativity and office supplies you can soon create you own personal funky planner. And there are loads of downloadable prints on Pinterest that you can use to help create it.
Check out these brilliant designs on Pintrest.

8. Lampshades

Fabric ones, paper ones, crochet ones, there are so many different ways to create your own unique lampshade.
I found some small bedside lampshades in my local charity shop for just 50p each which is a great place to start. I plan to take the current material off the frame and use the frame to crochet my own design over it.
Check out Pinterest for ideas and inspiration and if you want to have a go yourself here is a brilliant tutorial on how to from the Design Sponge Company.

9. Origami

My six year old niece was given some origami for christmas and myself and two other fully grown adults spent a large proportion of new years eve making penguins and frogs. It was brilliantly creative, but you can make so much more than just this.
Not only are there some really great books out there to teach you but you can now get themed origami books where someone has taken the art of paper folding, the design of prints and created patterns for you to make your very own R2-D2.
For more details and downloads go to the Origami Website.

10. Craft Kits

According to many social media sites crafts kits are a hit for this year!
With the BBC working on Get Creative day, trying to get everyone to undertake something crafty, there is no better time than to check out some craft kits yourself.
Is there a craft your interested in but don’t want the expense of getting set up for a new hobby? Then a kit is the way forward.Wool and the Gang have nailed the craft kit business and produce a number of different kits to make knitted products, where you can choose the colour and if you need the needles etc before you purchase.Kirsty Allsopp, a craft queen, has her own range of kits in hobby craft, where for a really reasonable price you can learn all manner of things. Soap making, caligraphy, felting, purse making, rag dolls and so on.Make with Annie, is my own range of craft kits, where i give you everything you would need to make a quirky and cute felt brooch!

Whatever your currently craft is, or if your completely lacking a craft, then maybe 2016 is the year for you to learn something knew!